Creative, Independent Girls

I thought I'd start this blog with books that cover various concept topics which prepare kids for school.  Then, one of my facebook friends mentioned how much she likes Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells.  This got the wheels in my head turning in a new direction. My undergraduate degree is in Women's Studies, and I am raising a daughter.

The following books are ones I enjoy because of the protagonists.  They feature girls who proudly own their unique styles.  These books also demonstrate loving family relationships.  I appreciate the underlying message that people do not need to all be the same to be able to appreciate one another.

Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
Being a middle child isn't easy, but this adorable rhyming book gives Nora, a middle-child, her voice.  This is a fun read-aloud because kids can make noise at appropriate places.  When I raise my hand, the group can make a racket.  (This works especially well if children have rhythm sticks or some other hand-instrument, but it can be done just with yelling, clapping, stomping, etc).  However, the noise must stop as soon as I lower my hand so that they can continue hearing the story.  As I wrote to my friend, self-control is a lesson best learned, like most others, when one doesn't recognize that learning is happening. :-)

Olivia by Ian Falconer
Olivia is the eldest child in her porcine family.  However, she is a very human-like pig with a huge imagination.  The illustrations are mostly gray-tone with some red, and the simple facial expressions are hilarious.  Falconer also incorporates some photographs into the pictures.  This is the first book in a series that takes Olivia to a the museum, the ballet, a fireworks display, Venice, and even the U.S. Supreme Court (in her dreams).  There are other, more full-color books based on the television show that the original series spawned.  However, I think these wordier stories lack the simplicity and wonder that make the Falconer books so special.

Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor/ Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
This is also the first book in a series.  It is perfect for families who want something substantial for their princess-obsessed girls.  Nancy enjoys all things adorned, as the humorous illustrations demonstrate..  Kids can expand their vocabularies via her explanations using context or synonyms to introduce her preferred terms. The love that her plain family shows as they try to play along with her posh preferences is touching.  The later books in the series are a bit longer and therefore more appropriate to average 4-year-old and 5-year-old attention spans.  The first book will work fine for most 3-year-olds, though.  Plus, if your children become fans of Nancy, they can follow her adventures in early-reader books when they are ready to start reading on their own.